Territory



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'0. COBB.

THREAD CASE. No. 424,180. Patented Mar. 25. 1890-l ATTUH/VEYS.

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THREAD OASE.

No. 424,180. Patented Mm. 25, 1890.

WITNESSES:

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THREAD CASE. No. 424,180. 4 Patented Mar. 25, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

i CHARLES COBB, OF ALBION, IDAHO TERRITORY.

'THREAD-CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent No. 424,180, dated March 25, 1890.

Application iiled August 6, 1889. Serial No. 319,901. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES COBB, of Albion,in the county of Cassia and Territory of Idaho, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Thread-Cases, of which the following is a full,'clear, and exact description.

Myinvention relates to an improvementin thread-cases, and has for its object to provide a case having a series of compartments especially adapted to hold spools of thread of diiferent sizes, and to so.construet the case that a spool may be expeditiously and conveniently drawn from any of the compartments by the simple pressure of a knob located upon the exterior of the case.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as Will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the case. Fig. 2 is a plan View and a partial horizontal section taken on line no of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a partial vertical section taken on line y y of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a partial horizontal section taken on line e' z of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a partial vertical section taken on line w w of Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 is a side elevation of one of the graduating-strips.

The base 10 of the device is preferablyv made polygonal in general contour, usually rectangular, being provided With an interior chamber 11, covered by a top 12, rigidly secured to the side and end Walls. Near the upper end of the base, in the interior, a horizontal platform or shelf 13 is secured in any approved manner, which platform is continued around the sides and ends, and is pro vided in the inner edge with a series of cavities or semicircular recesses 14, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Between the inner and outer edges of the platform or shelf, and between the said platform and the top 12 of the base, a vertical partition 15 is located, as shown in Fig. 3, and in the top 12 of the base a number of circular openings 16 are formed, which openings are located above the platform or shelf Within the vertical line of the partition 15. Im-

mediately beneath the top 12 of the base a vgraduatin'g-strip 17 is rigidly secured to the said top, as illustrated in detail in Fig. 6, one of said graduating-strips being located at each side and end of the base, and the under edge of each of the strips lis beveled or inclined from end to end. The location of the strips is best illustrated in Fig. 3, and the object of the strips is to decrease the distance between the shelf or platform 13 and the uuder beveled or inclined edge of the strips, for a purpose hereinafter set fort-h. The graduating-strips 17 are provided With a series of openings 18, registering with the several openings in the cover 12.

Upon the base lO the body 19 of the case is located, Which body comprises perpendicular side and end blocks 20, which rest upon the cover 12 of the base, and the several blocks are provided in their outer faces With a series of semicircular grooves or recesses 21, of different diameters to accommodate the different sizes of spools, as best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the Walls of the recesses at the base of the blocks constituting the side and end Walls of the openings 16 and 1S, located, respectively, in the'cover 12 and graduatingstrips 17.

The space A intervening the inner faces of the side and end blocks of the body is covered by a board or sheet of metal 22, rigidly secured to the upper ends of the said blocks at the inner side, and Where the several side and end blocks are united, as shown in Fig. 2, a corner-post 23 is located, attached to the blocks, and the said corn er-posts are so placed that one edge thereof will contact With each corner of the body. These corner-posts are held in position upon the base by means of a pin 2i, secured in their lower ends, which pins are adapted to entera suitable socket in the top or cover of the base, or, if found desirable, the pins may be secured to the base and enter the socket in the post. This construction is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The corner-posts 23 are usually rectangular in cross-section, the outer faces being smooth, and in the inner faces a perpendicular recess 25 is formed, in which recess a pane of glass 26 is inserted, one pane of glass being preferably made to cover each vertical face of the body. Thus a series of vertical chambers or ICQ in Fig. 3, and are hinged to the outer edges of the board or meta-l sheet 22. By raising t-he lids 29 the several spool-compartments maybe supplied with thread when and as they become empty.

Beneath each of the openings 16 and 13 in the top of the base and graduatingstrips 17 a carrying-block 30 is held to slide upon the platform or shelf 13, which blocks are each provided with a vertical bore 31, extending through from top to bottom, which bore is of sufficient diameter to receive a spool of predetermined size. The several carrying-blocks 30 are separated one from the other by a series of vertical partitions 32, transversely secured to the platform or shelf 13, the said partitions being so located that they will contact With the sides of the carrying-block, and thereby prevent lateral movement of the latter as they are moved inwardly or outwardly to drop a spool and receive another.

To each of the carrying-blocks 30 a horizontal stem 33 is attached at the front, which stem is made to pass through apertures formed in the walls of the base and in the vertical partitions 15. The outer end of each stem is preferably provided with a knob 34, upon which the number of the spool of thread located in the compartment immediately over that especial carrier is produced. If in practice, however, it is found desirable, instead of producing the number upon the knob, it may be produced upon the exterior of the base or at any other point adjacent to the stem. The stems within the space intervening the walls of the base and the vertical partitions 15 are each provided with a collar 35, which limits their outward movement, and a spring 36 is coiled around each stem, bearing at one end against said plate and at the other end against the outer face of the said partition 15, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. Thus the carrying-blocks by pressure upon the knobs may be pushed inward, and may be carried so far in this direction that the bore 31 therein will pass the cavities or recesses 14 of the platform or shelf 13, and when pressure upon the knobs is relieved the spring 36 will restore the carriers to their normal position, which is in contact with the inner face of the partition 15, the bore 3l being in vertical alignment with the spool-chamber above it.

It will be observed that by decreasing the space between the shelf or platform 13 and the lower edge of the graduating-strips 17 accomplished by beveling the under edge of the strips, I am enabled to provide a series of carrying-blocks graduated' in height at each side of the case, as shown in Fig. 3, and that the distance between each of the carryingblocks and the under edge of the graduatingstrips is such that but little vertical play of the carriers is permitted. This graduation of the carriers is necessary, in order that each may receive a different number of spool, as the various spools of threads in use are of different sizes, and one size of thread only is 'contained in each thread-compartment.

The body of the case is set back adistance from the outer edge of the base, and the space between the'outer faces of the body and the equivalent surface of the base is filled in, or partially so, by an ornamental form of molding 37. f

Within the base below the shelf orplatform 13 a chute or hopper 33 is located, the upper end of which hopper is of sufficient size to extend from side to side and from end to end of4 the base, and the upper edges of the hopper are secured to the side walls of the base immediately below the said shelf or platform 13. The lower end of the hopper is reduced, as shown at 39 in Fig. 3, and is carried at an angle from the center downwardly and outwardly through the bottom of the base whereby any spool dropped in the hopper lmay be readily delivered to the hand of the operator, or in a box or cu'p placed to receive it.

In operation spools are placed in the several thread-compartments one upon the other, as shown in Fig. 3, the lower spool being located in the bore 31 of the carrier resting upon the shelf or platform 13. If a spool of the denomination 36 is desired, for instance, the knob bearing that number is pressed inward, whereupon the spool in the carrier is carried in contact with the shelf or platform 13 until the bore of the carrying-block passes the recess 14 in the shelf, whereupon the spool drops down in the chute or hopper 33 and passes out at the lower end. VAs the carrying-block is pushed inward to deliver the spool it contains the forward upper edge of the said block contacting with the lower end of the spool immediately above it effectually prevents it from falling, which spool in turn sustains the entire column. After thc spool has been delivered from the chute or hopper 38 theknob is released, and the spring 36, acting, throws the carrying-block automatically to its normal position, while the spool supported thereby drops down in the bore of the block ready to be dropped in the hopper when the knob is pressed inward again.

Having thus described my invention, AI claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a thread-case, the combinatioinwith a base and a series of spring-controlled carrying-blocks having a spool-cavity therein and held to slide in the said base, of a case supported upon the base, provided with a series IOO IIO

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of vertical spool-compartments registering with the several spool-cavities of the carriers, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a thread-case, the combination, with a hollow base provided with an apertured top, an inn er horizontal shelf or platform attached to the walls of the base, and spring-controlled carrying blocks provided with a vertical spool-opening extending from top to bottom and held to slide upon the shelf, of a body provided with a series of perpendicular spoolcavities registering with the several apertures in the top of the base and with the openings in the carriers, and a hopper secured within the base below the shelf or platform and projecting downward and outward through the bottom of the b'ase, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a thread-case, the combination, with a hollow base, a horizontal shelf or platform secured within the base to the walls thereof and provided with cavities in the inner edge, and a series of carrying-blocks graduated in height held to slide upon the said shelf, each carrying-block provided with a vertical opening extending from top to bottom, of a body secured to the base provided with a series of perpendicular spool-compartments registering with the openings in the carrying-blocks, and a chute or hopper secured at the upper end within the base beneath the shelf or platform and projecting downwardly and outwardly through the bottom of the base, substantially as shown and described.

4L. In a thread-case, the combination, with a hollow base provided with a series of apertures in the top, a horizontal shelf or platform secured tothe inner walls of the said base, and graduating-strips attached to the under face of the top, one strip located at each side of the base and provided with apertures registering with the upper apertures `of the base, of a series of spring-controlled carryingblocks held to slide upon the shelf or platform beneath the graduating-strips, each of the carrying-blocks being provided with a bore exten ding through from top to bottom, regis- -tering with the apertures in the top of the base and the graduating-strips` and a body attached to the upper surface of the base provided witn a series of perpendicular spoolcompartments, the several compartments being made to register vertically with the several apertures in the top of the base and the graduating-strips, and with the bores in the carryingeblocks when the latter are in their normal position, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

. CHARLES COBB. Vitnesses:

E. A. Nurr, JOHN Bo'rznr. 

